


finding the right words

by qqtahng



Series: Princely Relations [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 15:52:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14084334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qqtahng/pseuds/qqtahng
Summary: Not even Hoshido’s newly crowned king could solve everything on his own.





	finding the right words

**Author's Note:**

> typos ahoy

 

_ Six down: A ten letter word meaning “to make better.” _

Ryoma stared at the hint for a few minutes. He scratched his head and closed his eyes and tried to recall any of the 99th percentile words he learned in the Nohrian language back when he still needed lessons. 

No good.

Ryoma, the mighty King of Hoshido, was stumped by a word puzzle consisting of boxes of white outlined with swathes of black. 

He sighed. Maybe he just needed a break. After all, so many things still needed to be done since the war had only ended recently. 

“Saizo,” He called out to his empty office, “Could you bring Takumi here? There’s a few more things I wish to discuss with him before he officially leaves as an ambassador.”

Saizo appeared seemingly out of nowhere, uttered a quick “Of course, Lord Ryoma” and set off to find Takumi. Ryoma read through a few documents in the meantime. Most were about how some of the outskirt villages requested assistance in rebuilding their homes due to the damage sustained from the war. He sighed and made a note to bring up the issue, again, with the council.

He took another glance at his word puzzle.

“Ten letters…”

He then heard his door slide open, “Ryoma? You called for me?”

Ryoma quickly pulled his attention from the puzzle, “Ah, Takumi. Yes, I just have a few more things I want to finalize before you leave for Nohr.”

“I thought we got through all the big things, I’m not sure what else there is at this point.” Takumi took a seat on the other side of Ryoma’s desk anyway.

“There are some finer details I want to discuss but all the major points have been covered, yes. I can assume by now you have your duties memorized?”

“They’re practically engraved into my brain at this point. I could give you all the official jargon but basically it boils down to ‘ameliorate relations with Nohr’, right?”

_ Ameliorate… _

Something clicked in Ryoma’s head, “Wait, Takumi. Could you repeat what you just said?”

Takumi looked nervous, “Ameliorate relations with Nohr? Did I get something wrong?” 

“I’m assuming by ameliorate you mean to make better?”

A look of realization dawned on Takumi’s face, “Oh yeah. That’s what I meant, sorry. It’s just I was reading a book Leo lent me and the author has a penchant for using that word. I guess I picked up on that habit.”

“Spell it for me please, in Nohrian script.” 

Takumi looked confused, but obliged anyway, “A-M-E-L-I-O-R-A-T-E is how it should be spelled.”

“A-M-E…” Ryoma’s voice trailed off as he he adopted a look of serious thinking. “That’s it! That’s what it is!”

Takumi started at how loud Ryoma’s realization was, “What?! What’s it?! What’s happening?”

Ryoma wasted no time in grabbing his crossword and searching for the right spot, “Six down… six down... a ten letter word meaning ‘to make better’... it works! It fits!”

Takumi looked over curiously once his surprise settled, “Oh, I didn’t know you liked doing those too.”

Ryoma scribbled the word where it belonged, “Quite frankly, I didn’t know either until Prince- I mean, King Xander, suggested it to me as a means of amusement, or just to relax with.” He frowned, “Apparently neither of us are very good at that?”

“Well… that’s not untrue. I’m pretty sure some members in the army truly believed you two only knew what fun or repose was by technical definition.” Takumi crossed his arms, “I mean, remember the time Hinoka thought you were deathly ill because you cracked a joke once? She knows you better than most and even she was surprised to hear something that wasn’t serious come out of your mouth!”

Ryoma looked indignant, “I don’t think she has room to be talking! She pushes herself far too much for that matter!” He pointed a finger and Takumi, “Quite frankly so do you! I remember hearing from King Xander how you refused to put down you bow until you hit at least 96 straight bullseyes out of 100!”

Takumi put his hands up defensively, “Look, at least I learned my lesson! And I think I’ve mellowed out more than you at least! At this rate that crease in your brow is going to become permanent and you’ll look like King Xander: with a scowl always on your face.” 

Ryoma couldn’t find fault with those words.

“Hm… It seems that you’re right.” He sighed, “Apologies for raising my voice, Takumi. I guess things have been stressful even after all the fighting ended.”

“None taken,” Takumi waved his hand dismissively, “But seriously Ryoma, you work the hardest out of any of us so try to take a break longer than 10 minutes. And meditation doesn’t count, it doesn’t! Do something fun!”

“I can only promise to try my best, brother. The same could go for you, don’t push yourself too hard when you’re in Nohr, alright?”

Takumi crossed his arms, “I can handle it. I think... Besides,” He looked a little more nervous, “I’m gonna have to work super hard if you’re giving me such an important role.”

“Oh now look at who doesn’t know how to relax.” Ryoma chuckled, “Takumi, I have full confidence that you will do absolutely fine. If I must be honest, you have a knack for coming up with diplomatic solutions, more so than I ever could have done on my own.”

“Yeah but we all know that sometimes I don’t have the right attitude for stuff like that,” His posture slumped, “Ugh, I just don’t want to accidentally mess up everything we’ve worked so hard for. I could totally set off another war by accident if I insult the wrong noble.”

“From what I’ve heard from King Xander and Lady Camilla, a lot of the Nohrian nobles deserve to be insulted. So even if the entirety of the Nohrian army was pursuing you because of that, I would welcome you home with open arms and great pride. And maybe a high-five if your insult was worthy enough.”

“Thanks Ryoma, I- wait… was that a joke? Did you just crack a joke?” Takumi’s eyes went wide and a grin slowly appeared on his face.

Ryoma smirked, “Hm, now that you mention it, I believe I did.”

“Wow, now I know how Hinoka felt. It’s like a tiny miracle took place within the confines of this room. The renascence of King Ryoma’s sense of humor, as it were.” Takumi made a grand sweeping gesture as he said this. 

Another thing clicked in Ryoma’s head, “How many letters is renascence?”

“Ten letters. It means rebirth or revival.” Takumi caught on quickly. “Which slot does it fill?”

“Seven across, I believe. And… yes! There it is!” Ryoma finished writing the word with a flourish, a small victorious action. 

“Nice! One step closer to completion.”

“Thank you, brother. Now that I think about it, maybe I should keep you around for a few more days until I finish this. It’s quite challenging.” 

“The whole point is to do it yourself, Ryoma. Although I’m sure I might be able to send an easier on to you once I’m in Nohr.” Takumi teased.

“Oh just you wait brother, I’ll crack this even if it means taking a whole week off to finish it.”

Takumi was less jovial about that, “...Now I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

“I jest, Takumi I jest. Clearly my tone when joking needs to be more distinct…”

“Well,” Takumi stood up, “You work on that. Are we done here? I still have a few preparations to get ready before I’m officially off for Nohr.”

Ryoma nodded, “Yes, I believe we somehow reaffirmed your duties in all that conversation. You may leave now. Be sure to be careful while travelling!”

“I’ll try, but no promises!” Takumi waved as he took his leave, and Ryoma watched the door slide closed.

It was quiet once again in his office. He looked at the documents he still needed to read over and sign. He looked to his crossword.

_ Eleven across: a six letter word for a state of relaxation.  _

Ryoma smiled.

This one was easy.

**Author's Note:**

> ryoma is good at everything we know this but sometimes i'd like to think takumi has the edge over him in a few oddly specific things. like word puzzles. and hair care.


End file.
